Captain's Confidence

We’re confident it will be fine – the gaffer is just trying to find a winning formula up front"

Samuel Ricketts

Skipper Samuel Ricketts today expressed confidence that Wolves will rediscover a winning formula – if they can turn their performances into points by improving in the final third.

Head Coach Kenny Jackett highlighted Friday’s last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Gillingham as the third successive game in which Wolves had played good football and dominated possession without turning that into enough promising chances – and goals.

Ricketts knows improvement is needed, but doesn’t think it will take much for Wolves to come out of their first tough spell of the season.

“We were disappointed with the (Gillingham) result but I think the performance levels over the last few games have been of a very high standard,” he said.

“We’ve just got to convert that into goals and points.

“There’s something to work on but in two-thirds of the pitch, we’ve dominated the last few games more than we have all season so there are huge positives and huge disappointment at the same time.

“For some reason we’re not converting our chances, whether that be opportunities in front of goal or a poor final ball.

“These things do happen over a season but the biggest thing is we’re dominating games and possession, which is a big positive.

“But the hardest thing to do is score goals and when that comes – and it will, because you can’t keep dominating sides with the amount of crosses we’re putting in without that changing – we’ll be fine, like we have been before.

“I admit their keeper didn’t have to make tremendous saves from us on Friday – it was more about catching crosses and the like, which we were disappointed at.

“But there are big positives to take from it apart from getting beat.

“We’re confident it will be fine – the gaffer is just trying to find a winning formula up front.

“There has been chopping and changing but that’s to be expected with four games in nine days just to freshen things up a little bit.

“But I’m not concerned because I know it will come right.

“I’m more than pleased with the level of performance and how well we have controlled the last three games, which is the second-hardest thing to do in football after scoring.”

At the other end of the pitch Ricketts was also impressed with the league debut of Aaron McCarey, in for the injured Carl Ikeme.

“I thought Aaron was positive in everything he did and he was confident enough to claim some crosses,” he said.

“He’s got a long way to go but he’s another good goalkeeper who has come through the ranks at Wolves and it looks as if he’s got a bright future.

“He’s come from a long line of good homegrown keepers that the club have produced over the last 10 years or so.

“It looks like he might get the chance of a few games now, but there is the confidence in ‘Azzer’ to come in.

“He played well on Friday and if he carries on playing like that, more confidence will breed in him and it will only be good for him and good for the club.”